SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 18: Title contenders maintained their winning momentum on Day 1 of the Padma Bai Rungta Memorial West Singhbhum District Chess Championship, which began today at the Sitaram Rungta Recreation Hall, Town Club, Chaibasa.

In the third round, rated players continued to dominate their opponents. Rajesh Kumar defeated Ekansh Shah, Manish Sharma beat Purushottam Saraf, Kamal Kishore Deonath overcame Lalit Bandra, and Manideep Mukhi won against Anwesh Mahanta.

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In other matches, Tanish Kumar defeated Devraj Kumar, Sashmit Tripathi beat Pasmir Purti, Vishwadeep Thaker triumphed over Sumit Karmakar, and Kush Mundra outplayed Soumya Prabha Soi to score their third points.
The tournament was inaugurated in the morning by chief guest Dr. Veena Mundra, along with West Singhbhum District Chess Association president Mukund Rungta, patron Dipendra Prasad Saw, Balram Sultania (former national president of Marwari Yuva Manch), and Laddoo Kirwal.
According to Association Secretary Basant Khandelwal, the three-day championship, being held from April 18 to 20, has drawn 110 participants, including 18 internationally rated players.

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The event is being officiated by international arbiter Jayant Bhuyan from Jamshedpur, serving as the chief arbiter. The inaugural ceremony was conducted by Jaydeo Tripathi, with a vote of thanks proposed by Anant Lal Vishwakarma. Others present on the occasion included Subrat Chandra Tripathi, Arpit Khirwal, Ishan Choubey, Harsh Sharma, Juel Gagrai, and Suraj Tiu.